joe camarda Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 As interested in motorcycles (previously BMWs and now Moto Guzzis) as I've been for the past 3.7 decades, I've never been to a rally However I have been to a "mini-rally" at the Moto GP in 06 which consisted of a bunch of friendly folks seated at a park table over looking the racecourse, sharing beer, soft drinks, food and probably some tall tales. Still, it wasnt a proper rally, and come to think of it I was still on my Multistrada then. Proper rally or not, I had a great, albeit short time there and got to connect some faces to names. With the up-coming SoCal rally in Malibu this June I hope to meet a lot more of you great guys! So I'm wondering...in general, what are rallies like? Are they family-friendly affairs? Or are they semi-drunken semi-orgies with semi-nekked women running around? Are there lots of MG vendors hawking their goodies? Do most people rough it in the campgrounds or slink off to the local motels to soak in the hot-tub after a dusty day? If I show up in a car, will I be beaten and told to leave? Seriously, any input would be appreciated. Also, I live about 6 hours north of Malibu. If anyone needs a place to stop for the night, I might be able to help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murray Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 I could talk about firey fountians, desiel bombs, hot air ballons (out of garbage bags), piss as fart riders in outfits tearing up empty paddocks, ludicrous amounts of alchool, VW blocks on the bon fire and flaming toilet roll soccer. But I get the distinct impression rallies are not quiet the piromaniacs dream the USA as they are here. There is a distinct reason why they run them in the depths of winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdude Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 expect middleaged bearded guys, slightly overweight, smelly from their vintage leathers and cheap blended scotch having endless and deeply personal conversations about the quality of the pawl spring, oil and tires in the night, with bonfires without women the atmosphere can be described by Ernest Hemingways answer to the existensial question: why did the chicken cross the road? To die alone in the rain in other words: RAF - Rallies Are Fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guzzi jon Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 expect middleaged bearded guys, slightly overweight, smelly from their vintage leathers and cheap blended scotchhaving endless and deeply personal conversations about the quality of the pawl spring, oil and tires in the night, with bonfires without women the atmosphere can be described by Ernest Hemingways answer to the existensial question: why did the chicken cross the road? To die alone in the rain in other words: RAF - Rallies Are Fun. Visit the So Cal site, plenty of Rally info there... Most folks will be camping, but I plan on having an RV there... No real close motels, but its a great camp ground. Check out the info on the site http://socal-guzzi.com/PHPBB/viewtopic.php...2e2b72b69b6e50c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete roper Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 Joe, depite what myth may try and tell you Guzzi rallies, in fact most rallies, are fairly sedate affairs. Sure as the night wears on you'll find the likes of Jon and me will of cosumed a few 'Weak Teas' and we'll be loud sometimes, but rarely obnoxious. In Oz there are usually kids running around and in the US most people appear to be of almost pensionable age ! Nobody is going to insist on you having carnal knowledge of a donkey before you are *accepted* . Just remember that we are talking 'Motorcyclists' here, not seventh day adventists! Hope to meet you there! Pete PS. Bring your own donkey......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murray Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 Admitteldly locally they only have one or two a year here. The boys and girls tend to make the most of the oppourtunity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom M Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 So I'm wondering...in general, what are rallies like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete roper Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 Why are they in a cage? They look harmless enough to me Tom Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest frankdugo Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 hey joe .we,re talking guzzis here.no ninjas or cbr,s.if you are under 40 you need a Papel dispensation to buy a guzzi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe camarda Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 Todd...I just threw down some PayPal. The above picture convinced me that this will truly be my kind of affair. Now, I just gotta find that donkey! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocker59 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 As interested in motorcycles (previously BMWs and now Moto Guzzis) as I've been for the past 3.7 decades, I've never been to a rally So I'm wondering...in general, what are rallies like? Are they family-friendly affairs? Or are they semi-drunken semi-orgies with semi-nekked women running around? Are there lots of MG vendors hawking their goodies? Do most people rough it in the campgrounds or slink off to the local motels to soak in the hot-tub after a dusty day? If I show up in a car, will I be beaten and told to leave? Seriously, any input would be appreciated. Guzzi "rallies" are usually more like "campouts". The ones I've seen have been mostly attended by guys in thier 50s and 60s on some version of Guzzi's California. Many of them pull trailers/QuickCamps/etc. Most of them camp at the site. Guys in thier 40s are the "young guys" in the crowd. The campouts are family oriented. Some people bring spouses/kids/grandkids. It's no "Harley Biker Rally", for sure. No bikini contests, no strippers, no Molly Hatchett or Lynard Skynard cover bands... SoCal may be different, but I'm hoping to see a lot more Sport/Lemans/Daytona/V11 Sport/V11 Lemans riders... The trackday will probably be a good time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptrkbeam Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 I'm and "old guy", just turned 50, with one of them V11 LeMans scooters. No suspenders but do own a few Skynyrd albums, stashed way somewhere. Only "rally" I've ever attended is the Harvest Classic in Texas. Been reading the various posts about the national, wondering. That would be by far the farthest I've ever ridden. Camping in Malibu - that would be intersting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeeve Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 hey joe .we,re talking guzzis here.no ninjas or cbr,s.if you are under 40 you need a Papel dispensation to buy a guzzi. What does Paypal have to do w/ buying a Guzzi? Unless you got it off Fleabay, o' course! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe camarda Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 What does Paypal have to do w/ buying a Guzzi? Unless you got it off Fleabay, o' course! Skeeve...I meant that I paid for my rally ticket using PayPal. Considering the beautiful scenery and wonderfulness of the general area, the $65 for two nights seems like a bargain. Plus getting to meet all you guys and seeing all the bikes and all the drunken hooliganism...cant hardly wait. But I'm gonna miss the all-but-promised fisticuff between PR and KH. Dang it all to heck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Stewart Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Hey Joe, (what you doing with that gun in your hand) The mini rally that you speak of is just like what a larger rally is like, just more people and many, many bikes to drool over Don't forget the Grappa There will also be a bike show for the old and new Guzzi's, customs, non Guzzi. Rides thoughout the day, many groups going diferent places, just watch out for the Southern Cali boys, they ride faasst! Guzzi folks are different than any other motorcycle group I have seen. Most of them are gear heads and can be anywhere from lawyers, doctors, ex Harley and Beemer owners. You had better watch out though, after one rally, you will be back for more. While many Guzzi riders will camp out, I usually prefer to motel it (heard too many stories of snoring Guzzi campers ). I have never seen any vendors at a rally, but you will never know if you don't go. ahh, leave the car at home, time to ride Mike As interested in motorcycles (previously BMWs and now Moto Guzzis) as I've been for the past 3.7 decades, I've never been to a rally However I have been to a "mini-rally" at the Moto GP in 06 which consisted of a bunch of friendly folks seated at a park table over looking the racecourse, sharing beer, soft drinks, food and probably some tall tales. Still, it wasnt a proper rally, and come to think of it I was still on my Multistrada then. Proper rally or not, I had a great, albeit short time there and got to connect some faces to names. With the up-coming SoCal rally in Malibu this June I hope to meet a lot more of you great guys! So I'm wondering...in general, what are rallies like? Are they family-friendly affairs? Or are they semi-drunken semi-orgies with semi-nekked women running around? Are there lots of MG vendors hawking their goodies? Do most people rough it in the campgrounds or slink off to the local motels to soak in the hot-tub after a dusty day? If I show up in a car, will I be beaten and told to leave? Seriously, any input would be appreciated. Also, I live about 6 hours north of Malibu. If anyone needs a place to stop for the night, I might be able to help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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